The Journey
by Lavinia
Summary: It's not only Lupin who suffered when he received the bite.
1. Santorini

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the off-canon characters. J.K. owns the rest, which is   
good, because she does far more with them than I ever could.  
  
A/N: If you love it or hate it, please leave a review...no flames, because they totally   
don't help, but constructive criticism is totally appreciated. If you review, I'll know   
people are actually looking at it and add some more on...if not, I'll continue it for my   
own benefit off-line :). Thanks for taking the time to read this! It's my first story here,  
so I really appreciate it.  
  
***  
  
"The greatest travelers have not gone beyond the limits of their own world; they have trodden   
the paths of their own souls, of good and evil, of morality and redemption."  
---Christ Stopped at Eboli, 1947. Carlo Levi  
  
***  
  
Amanda Lupin stared out the window. Desolate. Utterly desolate. And to think, this was   
supposed to have been her second honeymoon. Hearing the whistle of the tea kettle, she closed   
the book in her hands, took one more glance out into the rain, and walked over to the stove.   
Taking the kettle off the burner, she opened the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of milk. As she   
added it to her tea, she looked to the calender. A beautiful Santorini sunset shone across the   
embrace of two young people.  
  
"Huh." she said to no one in particular. At least that couple seemed to be enjoying themselves.   
  
On the way back to her vigil on her couch, she grabbed a small notebook, bound in tattered leather.  
  
  
12 April 1967  
  
So much for travelers' paradise. Ever since our arrival on this island, it's been nothing but   
rain, rain, rain. Instead of enjoying the momentary glory of the Greek sunset, I spent the   
evening shoving towels under the doors because the wind is blowing the water right through the   
cracks. I told Thomas that we should have gotten one of those luxury suites facing the interior,   
but he felt we'd have more privacy here. At the time, it sounded like a fantastic idea...alone   
in a tiny alcove with my husband, able to enjoy each other's company without worrying about someone   
noticing anything unusual. He's a brilliant man, but within five minutes of checking in, he   
managed to forget and ask the poor desk clerk if the fireplaces were hooked up to the floo network.   
I know we muggles are supposed to be fairly oblivious, but honestly, some things stand out and if he   
uses one of those memory charms on every person who hears him slip up, the whole island will be   
walking around wearing nothing but woolen mittens and galoshes..   
  
Of course, right now I'd give up my stash of mocha truffles to have him around to mess things up   
again. He took off over nine hours ago and I still haven't heard anything. The owl barely   
made it here in the storm, poor thing. Thomas refused to tell me what it was all about, of   
course, but I'm sure it has something to do with all those killings that happened a few days ago.   
Shocking, of course, but I assumed the Ministry would be able to handle that sort of thing without   
calling in Tom. Honestly, I'm not sure what his work with the Experimental Charms committee has   
to do with solving crimes, but apparantly it was important enough that he essentially abandon his   
wife on an island that  
  
No, wait. I'm turning into a bitter old lady, aren't I? It's just that...well, frankly, I'm scared.   
I don't like having him gone and I don't like all those rumors that we keep hearing...that some dark   
wizard is gaining power whose cohorts think muggle-killing is a better sporting event than the World   
Cup...it still sounds like some bad science fiction flik. If he knew he was going to be gone this   
long, he could have at least taken me with him...it's not like I would have insisted on following   
him around, trying to do his job for him.  
  
Okay, maybe I would have. But at least then I could have stopped at home and checked on the kids.   
Mrs. Grinnig is such a nice lady and I'm sure she's taking care of them, but I can't remember if   
I told her that Melissa needs to practice her piano at least half an hour a day and that Remus   
won't fall asleep until you sing to him...  
  
  
The pen dropped out of Amanda's hand onto the floor with a slight clink, the only sound besides   
the soft ticking of the clock and the driving rain on the window. Bringing her knees to her chin,   
she sighed, preparing to continue her solitary vigil.   
  
* * *  
  
She was cleaning Juniper's saddle. The smell of leather and soap permeated her hands, her jeans,   
and she loved it. She was always happiest in the barn, except that today something was wrong.   
Juniper kept doing doughnuts in his stall, making tight circles and spraying up wet hay and the   
mud he had tracked inside from the fields. She walked over to him, calling him softly. She   
had always been his favorite, ever since Daddy had purchased him. Instead of his usual   
nuzzle, however, he snapped at her. Shocked, she withdrew her hand, as he began to kick the   
rear of the stall.  
  
Thump.  
  
Thump.  
  
Thump.  
  
It was persistant, and for some reason it bothered Amanda more than she could explain.  
  
Thump.  
  
Louder.  
  
Thump.  
  
"Stop." Amanda said softly. The horse glanced her way briefly.  
  
Thump.  
  
"Stop." A little more loudly.  
  
Thump.  
  
"Stop." She was beginning to panic now. "Stop. Stop, please....Stop, damn you, STOP IT!!!  
  
  
  
With a start, Amanda woke up, gasping for breath. Odd, dreams about home had always been   
pleasant ones, but this one was....  
  
Thump.  
  
Her eyes widened for a moment, before she realized that the knocking was real, that someone   
must be at the door...maybe it was Thomas!  
  
But no, he would have apparated. She sighed. It was probably just a clerk...maybe they   
finally had realized that all the exterior rooms were flooding. She pulled the afghan around   
her tightly, walked over to the entrance, and, undoing the latches, opened the door.  
  
She stepped back slightly, eyes wide. The figure stepped inside, tossing back his hood to   
reveal a glimpse of the formal green robes of the Ministry.  
  
"Mrs. Lupin?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
The lines on his hard face softened. "I'm Alastor Moody."  
  
Moody...he had worked with Tom on several occasions. "My husband, have you...." She trailed   
off at the look in his eyes, instantly knowing the worst.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
The last thing she noticed before passing out was that, finally, the rain had stopped. 


	2. Experimental Charms

A/N: I own nothing, I make nothing, I love my reviewers!!  
  
****  
  
"Mrs. Lupin....Mrs. Lupin...." A hand was gently shaking her shoulder. Slowly opening her eyes, she blinked a few times and accepted a cup of tea from the wizard sitting on the edge of the bed. As she remembered what had happened, she sat straight up, dropping the cup of tea and ignoring the dull pain at the base of her skull. She looked at Moody a little more closely. His hair, starting to show the first flecks of gray, hung damp around his face. He must have stood outside for some time before she had answered the door. His hands kept running back and forth over his collar. He was nervous--a bit out of character, from the way Tom had described-- "What happened?" she asked suddenly.  
  
Moody looked at her, composing the best possible response. *Gods,* he thought, *I'd be happier dealing with the aftermath of an enraged Horntail than doing this.*  
  
He stared at her, recognizing at once from the glint in her eyes that she would allow no empty platitudes, no false condolences. Tom had mentioned more than once how Amanda was the backbone of the family, the one who always knew what to do when things go wrong. *Lass, I hope he was right about you....*  
  
"It was over quickly. The ministry of magic needs to keep his body"--*or what's left of it*, he added to himself--"for a few more hours, but I imagine it will take that long to get you situated. Right after Tom arrived, I received notification that the position of Auror has been reinstated--apparantly the Ministry finally figured out this was beyond Magical Law Enforcement." He snorted slightly. The only way the Ministry seemed to understand anything of any importance was through the opinion ratings. Fortunately for them, and their public, approval had dropped rapidly since that crazy wizard had started taking out Muggles...and elections were coming up. "We'll be assigning two to your home, starting a half hour ago, to ensure that there are no further...incidents...."  
  
"My...I don't understand." Amanda replied flatly. She paused, allowing a look of slight panic to come into her eyes, which were rapidly filling with tears. "My children--are you saying my family is in danger?!"  
  
Moody gave her a peculiar look. "Didn't Tom explain why he had to leave you?"  
  
He didn't seem to realize the weight of his question. "No." Her voice was quavering. *get it together, Amy,* she thought, *you're not helping.* "No," she repeated, a bit more confidently. "He just...he said he was needed at work, it was urgent...I didn't really ask. There wasn't time. He seemed to think he'd be back soon, so I...." she trailed off.  
  
Moody let out a long sigh. "Your husband...Tom...he was working with the Institute of Prophecy and Divination, trying to develop a charm that would assist Magical Law Enforcement in consolidating its forces in the appropriate locations. Something that could be cast on important buildings- -the Ministry, Hogwarts, and so on--that would give some indication of any impending danger to that institution on a day-to-day basis."  
  
Amanda looked at him, still holding back tears, a puzzled look on his face. "And?"  
  
"Apparantly, they had tested it earlier today. The results were somewhat-- mixed--and they called him in along with a specialist from the IPD to help refine the results. Unfortunately, they were only able to attune the results as the attack occurred--Tom got caught in the crossfire."  
  
"Did he...I mean, was it...."  
  
"He died quickly, if that's what you mean." *don't ask me about painfully, don't ask me about painfully....*  
  
Amanda paused again. "I'm sorry, this is all so sudden, and I'm normally not so foolish...." She started crying again. Whenever she and Tom had argued, it had always ended with Tom calling her a foolish woman...she had been Head Girl at Hogwarts, valedictorian...she was a lot of things, but not foolish. The epithet had always made her laugh. Composing herself, she continued. "but...I don't understand how this puts my family in danger."  
  
Moody grimaced. *I hate to think ill of the dead, but damn it, Tom, didn't you tell her anything? She's a strong lass, could have handled this before, but now....* "Lass," he began gently, "I think there's a few things your husband didn't mention to you."  
  
Her eyes narrowed slightly. Doing her best to keep her voice calm, she leveled her best glare at Moody and replied, "What are you implying, Mr. Moody?"  
  
This was not going well. "Amanda." He awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder. "This isn't easy for me, either. I didn't mean to imply anything, but I know how much Tom adored you and the kids. He knew you had your hands full with work and raising them, and I think he didn't want to burden you any farther...." He didn't know a lot about women, but he only had to look at Amanda's face to know he wasn't saying the right thing. *Get to the point, Moody* "Look, before tonight, he had received a few threats."  
  
Amanda grew pale. "Threats?" Her pitch and volume increased. "Threats? He didn't tell me? Against him? Against the kids? Why? I don't understand."  
  
"Look," Moody began. "I don't know that you realize how big a deal this new charm is...or was. At first, it would probably only be used on the larger targets I mentioned before--meaning that any enemy of the ministry..."  
  
"Like that crazy wizard."  
  
"Right, or any other political nutcase who got wind of his research, would have had a vested interest in its fate. Furthermore, eventual applications could have included private homes, businesses...so that any band of petty crooks would have had an interest as well...as would thieves of a different sort. Look, ma'am, till today, this information has been classified. Had the charm been completed, let's just say the royalties involved could have been tremendous. We have no idea who attacked tonight--could have been big time or little, someone who never wanted for the charm to be completed or someone who wanted to take credit for it. Regardless, Tom knew there might be trouble. There was a series of letters--we checked into it, but whoever sent them was good. Different owls, differing posts--no magic involved, just Muggle pen and paper, so we really have no way to trace them. They threatened your husband--but there was some indication that they wouldn't stop there. Furthermore..." Moody stopped as he noticed Amanda's face growing more and more pale. He was about to stop when Amanda beckoned him on. "...if the attackers are serious, they'll want all your husband's work destroyed as well...."  
  
"...copies of which he keeps at home." Amanda sat in shock for only a second before she leaped into action, quickly throwing her journal, clothes, and other assorted belongings into her suitcases. "Can we go straight---would the kids be safer somewhere--can you take the--". A dozen questions flew into her head at once.  
  
"I think," said Moody slowly, "that the best thing to do would be for you to go home and put that research someplace safe. We can take it to Gringotts for you, if you want, but for right now. . .."  
  
"Of course. Of course." Amanda stopped running about for a moment and looked at Moody. Her expression suddenly softened. "Alastor...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to question your. . .."  
  
"It's all right." He said gruffly. "To your home? Best to Apparate into the yard; we don't want to give the Aurors any surprises." 


End file.
